Gamification In English Language Teaching

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What is Gamification?

Gamification is introducing elements of a game to a language learning activity. Game is a form of play that includes game rules, goals, competition, and an element of chance [4]. The main aim of gamification is engaging and motivating students. Basically, the outcome is developing intrinsic motivation by associating learning with fun, and thus enjoyment [3].

Game elements that engage and motivate can be points, badges, levels, leader boards, and challenges [2, p. 21]. Points give students an instant feedback to their performance. Levels ensure appropriate progression and sequencing through content and activities. Badges (achievements) introduce a social elements to courses by allowing students to identify with other learners who are working towards the same goals [2, p. 22]. Based on points and badges, leaderboards are known to inspire students to keep their performance for longer [2, p. 23].

One of ideas is having sets of activities at different levels. Once a student completes a certain number of these activities, they can get to the next level. Gamification can be used both in the digital form and face-to-face. Technology is by all means useful, but not crucial in implementing this approach.

Let’s have a look at some examples of game elements that can be used while teaching grammar and vocabulary without involving complex preparation or technical means.

Definitions Game – gamified grammar teaching

In the format of a rummy card game, students match relative clauses to main clauses to make definitions. A rummy card game’s objective is to be the first to get rid of all your cards, by creating sets of two or more cards.

Aims: the game promotes cognitive understanding of clause patterns, builds students’ awareness of a typical pattern used in scientific writing.

Procedure

Create a set of cards for each group of students using strips of cardboard or index cards cut in half. Write (or paste a copy of) the main clause on one card and the matching relative clause definition on another. (Using different colors for main cards and adjective clause cards makes sorting easier when you put the game away.) Place each set of cards in a large envelope with directions pasted on the cover.
Place the students in groups of there so that all students can see everyone’s hand of cards.
One student distributes four main clause cards to each player in the group. These are placed face up so that everyone can see them. The remaining main clauses and the relative clauses are placed in two stacks, face down so that everyone in the group can reach them.
The next student then begins play by drawing a relative clause card from the stack. If a match can be made, the player keeps that card putting it next to the matched main clause. Everyone in the group must agree that a good sentence has been made.
Once agreement is reached, the player draws a new main clause to replace the one that has been matched, and the next player tries their luck with the relative clause stack.
If a match cannot be made, the player puts the rejected relative clause on the table, face up, as part of a discard list. The next player, or later players, may choose from either the discard list or from the face down stack.
The winner of the game is the player with the most completed sentences at the end of the class, or when time up is called [3, p. 30].

The game is very useful in teaching specific definitions of medical terms to my medical students. It also benefits Additional ideas for a flipped classroom are:

a) asking students to write down all the of the completed sentences from their group so that you can check them later – or give them to another class to check;
b) students can create their own game cards, each student locating definitional relative clauses in their reading [3, p. 31].

Simple vocabulary games

Game 1. Outburst

Divide the class into Teams A and B. The teacher assigns each team a particular topic (e.g. sports, vehicles, things in an office) which is to be kept secret from the other team. Each team meets for 5 minutes in private and collectively draws up a list of ten items related to the topic. After the lists are made, the game begins. The teacher tells Team A the name of Team B’s topic. Team A then has one minute to try to guess the items on Team B’s list (hence producing a noisy outburst). The members of Team B must listen and tick the items which Team A manages to guess. For every word Team A guesses correctly, they score a point. For every word they miss, Team B gets a point. After the points are recorded, it’s Team B turn to guess Team A’s list. Additional rounds can be played with different topics assigned by the teacher. The first team to score X number of points wins [2].

Game 2. Memory Challenge

Put the students into pairs or small groups. Give them a time limit (e.g. 3 minutes) and ask them to write down as many words, phrases, and/or expressions as they can from the last lesson on topic X. The pair or group that can remember the most items wins.

Variation: To add a spelling accuracy component, teams can also earn an extra point for each correctly spelt item.

Game 3. Q & A (Questions and Answers)

Write up two separate word lists on the board; an A list and a B list. Assign half the class the A list and the other half list B. Each student takes each word from their list and contextualizes it into a coherent question. Ideally, the question should demonstrate some understanding of the word (e.g. Is your family very hospitable?, NOT What does hospitable mean?). If students need help, they can consult the teacher, their notes, or their textbook. When the students have finished writing their questions, As and Bs pair up and exchange their list of questions. The students read each question and write an answer to the question on the same piece of paper. In their answer, they need to use the same word that is underlined in the question. After the answers are written, the papers are exchanged again and read by the original student [3].

Warnings and conclusions

Competition is part of language use, whether or not we recognize it in how we teach and learn it. When we make a conversation and exchange meaning with other people, there are three factors involved: conflict, competition and cooperation. Conversation is often compared with a game in that it has rules that can be followed, created, negotiated, or broken, and there may be winners and losers. We exchange not only informational but also interpersonal meaning in every interaction. For example, the register we choose to use with someone reflects how we perceive our own social status compared to theirs. Like all symbolic interaction, language-based interaction reflects and constructs power relationships, pushing and pulling towards hierarchy or egality, towards conflict or cooperation with the emerging social relationship [4, p. 56].

Using edugames (educational games) permits several important elements to be implemented: learner-centred environments, collaboration, authentic tasks, multiple expression modes, emphasis on time management, innovative assessment [1, p. 247].

While gamification is overall useful, there are still some downsides that I have also experienced in my classroom: achievement-orientation – there is an unwanted pressure of being better than other learners; decrease of attention span: gamification provides rapid feedback and quick tempo, but that cannot apply to other teaching methods; gap between course material and games available on the market. But the developing technology makes the gap smaller [2, p. 25-26]. All in all, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in case of judicious use of gamification in combination with other teaching approaches.

References

Callaghan N. Investigating the role of Minecraft in educational learning environments [Electronic Resource] / Noelene Callaghan, – Educational Media International. – 53:4. – 2016. – Access Mode: https://www.tandfonline.com /doi/full/10.1080/09523987.2016.1254877
Nadiawati Nanda. Gamification of Duolingo in Rising Childrens’ Second Language Learning Motivation [Electronic Resource]. –Surabaya: Sunan Ampel State Islamic University, 2018. – Access Mode: http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/26091/7/Nanda%20Nadiawati_A73214093.pdf
Pennington C. M. New Ways in Teaching Grammar / Martha C. Pennington. – Alexandria: TESOL Press, 1995. – 205 p.
Reinhardt J. Gameful Second and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning: Theory, Research, and Practice / Jonathon Reinhardt. – Tucson: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. – 311 p.

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